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Importance of Greek mythology
Importance of Greek mythology
Importance of Greek mythology
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In the past, the Greek beliefs were not only fascinating but also, every story in Greek mythology was related to the nature of the world and human problems. In this case, Greek mythology is relating to human flaws and frailties. In Greek mythology, there are stories that teach about human flaws and frailties such as greed, jealousy, and adultery. Firstly, one of the flaws that were displayed in Greek mythology was greed. An example of this would be the myth of King Midas. This myth explains how Midas wished for whatever he touched to be turned to gold. At first, everything went well because everything he touched got turned into gold, but because of his greedy desire, he turned his daughter to gold by accident. Another example of a Greek myth that displays greed is the myth about Paris. In this myth, it explains that Paris, the son of Priam …show more content…
made Helen, the Queen of Sparta marry him. The problem was that Helen was already married to King Menelaus, the high King of Sparta. This ended up causing the Trojan War because of Paris’s greedy desire to marry the most beautiful woman. It is evident that one of the flaws and frailties that were displayed in Greek mythology was that of greed. Secondly, another flaw that was displayed in Greek mythology was jealousy. An example of this would be the myth of Uranus and Gaea.
In this myth, Gaea, the goddess of Earth and Uranus, the god of the sky gave birth to the hundred-handed children, cyclops, and the 12 Titans. The problem was that Uranus was jealous of his children, and he was afraid that they would take his power and overthrow him, because of his jealousy, he plotted to bury them alive in the earth. In addition, another example of jealousy shown in Greek mythology would be the myth of Eris, and how she started the Trojan War due to jealousy. Eris, the goddess of quarrels was not invited to the wedding feast on Mount Olympus, causing her to enrage with jealousy. She then plotted to cause trouble and discord at the feast. Eris went to the wedding uninvited and placed a golden apple on the table, labeled with the words, “For the most beautiful.” Eris knew that Aphrodite, Hera, and Athene would fight over this golden apple and cause problems, so she was the main reason why Paris was destined to destroy the City of Troy and cause the Trojan War. It is apparent that another flaw displayed in Greek mythology was that of
jealousy.
Around the time where Greece was known to be the greatest civilization on earth, many people used myths and stories as an extension of their belief because they were culturally significant and important. Ancient Greece was a male-dominated civilization that created laws which would benefit only those with power, which let to the suffering of those without power. The relationship of the sexes was very important, because it showed how men were more superior and woman were frowned upon because they were treated more like minorities. Aeschylus’ “Agamemnon” is about a Greek king who would do anything, including sacrificing his daughter, because he feels as a man and a king whatever decisions he makes are always just. Sophocles’ “Antigone” is about a girl who goes against the religious values of the society, and get persecuted because state laws restrict her
Greek history is full of myths and legends, stories of Gods, Goddess, heros, villains, and everything in between. These stories have been told over and over again and through time the versions have changed. Not only has time taken a toll on these stories but also the culture that these stories are
The Role of Women in Greek Mythology In learning about the feminist movement, we studied the three articles, discussed and reviewed the different authors perspectives on the topic, and learned how important the role of woman in Greek mythology is. In presenting the feminist theory to the class, we analyzed the three articles, Women in Ancient Greece; Women in Antiquity: New Assessments; and Women in Greek Myth, and discussed how although the three articles provided different views on Feminism in mythology, they all essentially are aiming to teach the same basic concept. In order to understand the feminist theory, we have to understand the notion that although myths are invented and that they involve fantasy, the concept of mythology does not necessarily imply that there is no truth of history in them. Some of the humans may have lived while some of the events may have taken place. Most importantly, the social customs and the way of life depicted in the myths are a valuable representation of Greek society.
The Greek Mythology is the body of the myths and teachings in the ancient greek religion. It is concerning the gods and heroes, nature and the origin of their own culture and ritual practices (Cotterell). Many of the greek myths are an explanation for things that happened in nature. The myth of Persephone was an attempt to explain the changing of the seasons. The story of the loss of a child repeats very often in the history of humanity. This myth is the greek take on the topic (Cahill 235).
The Gods are constantly showing human flaws through themselves. This can accomplish two things: one, explain where humans get their so called ‘natural’ flaws, or two, set a terrible example for mankind. It is truly up to the reader how they want to take the message. The Gods always have their hand in everything, but they still can be weak. Lust, jealously or anger the Gods still feel, which makes them more relatable then the standard Christian God. However, people typically want a person who is considered ‘perfect’ to follow. So, it is truly up to the individual to decide how they will interpret the God’s actions in Greek mythology.
Greek Mythology is the study of the stories and legends of ancient Greek life. They are fictional stories used to teach and provide context on everyday occurrences, such as nature, health, but most importantly, love. The love myths of ancient Greece are far more different than anything we know of today. The myths featured competitive world views, such as homosexuality. There are other psychological ideas apparent in Greek myths. Using the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton, the myths of Narcissus, Amor and Psyche, and Pygmalion and Galatea include the ideas of narcissism, impulsiveness, and the impact of expectations appear many times.
In Greek myth stories there are going to be many themes/characteristics that appear in the stories each making it connect to other myths and being unique to itself. Some myths have the same themes and many other themes that set them apart. The three themes expressed in this writing are love, bravery and disrespect, the myths that are talked about are Perseus, Herakles and Medusa.
Although there are differences between this ancient culture and ours, one similar idea found in the story is that of the worship of deity. There are many gods represented in the story of Gilgamesh. This reflects the tendency of the people of that time to cling to religious ideals to explain the unknown.
Mythology is an essential part of all cultures. Through myth, ancient cultures attempted to explain the world and make sense of their daily lives. Myth helps us to live in the minds and time period of people who lived many centuries ago with no technology, no running water, and a basic education. Greek myth is possibly the most commonly recognized myth simply because it is likely the most developed and best recorded. Modern Greek myth originated around 1000 B.C. in the writings of the famous Greek poet Homer in the Odyssey and the Illiad. Although early Greek myths are often vague and contain many primitive elements regarding their understanding of death, sacrifice, and fate, later myths show Greek culture developed and changed over time.
Greek mythology was used in ancient times to explain how and why the world works and how it was created. People used Greek Mythology to tell myths about why the world has characteristics such as water ,plants, life, and animals. Myths tell stories about Gods, Goddesses, monsters and mythical creatures, although there are many myths about the sea, trees, and life, but one the most important myth is the myth of Gaea she was known to be the creator of earth.
The myth of Narcissus is one of the most well-known Greek Myths. It is unique because it strongly suggests the idea of the fundamental solitude of the human being. We can find two versions of this myth: the first is the Greek version as narrated by Conon the Greek mythographer:
Greek mythology was and still is one of the most widely known cultural history due to its influence and switching stands on a patriarchal and matriarchal rule and worship. It is also better known because they thrived in every aspect of a community that one could expect from such an old civilization. The way the Greeks depicted mythology taught many lessons and allowed their crops to be abundant, art to flourish, and order to be maintained and the reason why mythology held so much influence was because it established an order. It provided a faith for people to believe in and it held them to their morals for fear of punishment by the gods in the myths. Greek mythology also allowed for entertainment as some tales were told for children and usually contained some type of hidden lesson.
Her run-in with Apollo is an example. Apollo had a particular interest in Daphne before he killed Python--an earth dragon. After he killed Python he began to tease Eros(Cupid) about it and told him that his godly powers were useless compared to those of Apollo. Eros got angry and wanted revenge. To accomplish this, he shot Apollo with a gold arrow and the woman he loved, Daphne, with a lead one. Eros’s goal was to make Apollo fall deeply in love with Daphne and for Daphne to hate Apollo. This worked exactly as he wanted it to. Apollo began to chase Daphne and she grew tired of it; she wanted to escape him. Daphne cried out to a river god or mother earth for help. One of them answered her pleas and transformed her into a Laurel Tree. This transformation allowed her to finally be free of Apollo’s advances. Given the information, the reader can see that this is an unusual tale--one that does not have any relevance to the Hero’s Journey unlike many of the other Greek myths and stories
Greek tragedy also stresses the sacrificial nature of human life and the inevitability of death. Tragedy is concerned with the pain of human existence and how the characters deal with the pain. It puts the characters against forces do large they seem to be invincible. (Greek tragedy & its Influences)
In conclusion, myths reflect show us the Greeks view on the world, religion, and nature. Their understanding of the world is both similar and different compared to modern society. Myths also reflect the importance of gods in the Greek society and how each god represented something different. In addition, we can see the role of monsters in myths, what they represent and how were they important. Myths also show us the role of women in society and whether they were as important as men or not.